DES MOINES, Iowa – The Drake University women's basketball team defeated Evansville, 82-65, Friday evening, Jan. 6, in the Knapp Center in the team's Missouri Valley Conference home opener.
Senior
Lizzy Wendell (Blue Springs, Mo.) led Drake (9-4, 3-0 MVC) with a game-high of 23 points. It is the 56th time in her career Wendell has scored 20 or more points in a game.
Redshirt sophomore
Becca Jonas (Independence, Mo.) and freshman
Becca Hittner (Urbandale, Iowa) each pulled down a game-high of eight rebounds. Freshman
Mya Mertz (Overland Park, Kan.) recorded a new career-high with nine points. Sophomore
Nicole Miller (Walker, Iowa) joined Mertz off the bench and finished with 10 points. The Bulldogs' bench was a big spark for the team scoring 32 points.
Evansville (7-6, 2-1 MVC) and Drake traded 13 lead changes and had six ties. The Bulldogs led at the half, 34-33, but lost the lead at the beginning of the third quarter as the Purple Aces rallied to stake a six-point lead midway through the period.
The Bulldogs gained back the lead in the fourth quarter. After Wendell tied the contest at 57-all late in the third quarter with a three-point play, Drake ripped off eight-straight points to start the fourth quarter. The run featured six points from Miller and was capped by a layup made by junior
Paige Greiner (Williamsburg, Iowa) in the deciding run that ultimately helped pull out the comeback win.
As a team, the Bulldogs scored 54 points in the paint and recorded 19 fast-break points. Drake dominated the glass with a 41-22 rebounding advantage. Evansville made 12 three-pointers in the game, but was held to just two in the final period during Drake's rally. Sophomore
Sammie Bachrodt (Wichita, Kan.), senior
Caitlin Ingle (Runnells, Iowa) and freshman
Brenni Rose (Shawnee, Kan.) each scored nine points.
Drake continues its two-game homestand on Sunday evening when it welcomes Southern Illinois to the Knapp Center. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. and will follow the Drake men's basketball team who hosts Evansville at 3 p.m.
